Robots shadow sharks

Researchers have been testing shark-tracking robots off Santa Catalina Island, and the robots are getting better at their task. Last week, the research team sent two of the torpedolike robots to circle leopard sharks, which had tracking tags attached to them ahead of time. The robots kept far enough away to avoid spooking the sharks, but close enough to gather data on their movements and habitat.

Eventually the researchers hope to scale up their robots to chase after great whites. But the potential uses of the robots are much broader: to track potentially any species of fish, helping conserve populations by revealing their movements and habitat preferences.